I've Got You (reloaded)
by CayleeElizabeth
Summary: Caroline's on the brink. Spoiler(s) to 5x21 Promised Land. Steroline/Daroline
1. Chapter 1

**A/N v. 2.0** – _Ok guys, I originally uploaded this story a couple of days ago but FF did a fabulous job of messing up my format and I didn't catch it till it was too late. I want to thank everyone who read, favorited, followed, and reviewed the original upload but it was a mess and I couldn't keep it that way. My OCD simply would not allow it. So I'm reloading it now (hopefully with no glitches this time). Again, thanks for all the support and leave a review if it pleases you. - T_

**I've Got You**

Her throat is raw, her tears dry sticky streaks on her flushed cheeks, her legs numb from sitting on the pavement for far too long, a single thought runs through her mind like a mantra as the pads of her fingers stroke her best friend's hair leaving her skin raw from the friction.

Stefan's dead. Stefan's dead. _Stefan's dead!_

And it's all her fault.

She hiccups as she rocks back and forth, back and forth, Stefan's head cradled in her lap. In the distance she hears the familiar roar of an engine come to a stop and she'd probably hear the footsteps approach her if her brain would just stop.

Stefan's dead. Stefan's dead. _Stefan's dead!_

And it's all her fault.

She hears someone crying, but she doesn't think it's her. She stopped crying seconds, minutes, hours ago. Now it's just hiccups and dry heaves and the constant mantra running through her head.

Stefan's dead. Stefan's dead. _Stefan's dead!_

And it's all her fault.

Her hands tighten against Stefan as she spots a pair of black boots slowly coming towards her and she lets out a feral hiss, her fangs elongating as the boots stop far too close to her and Stefan.

"Caroline." She hears her name but the mantra won't stop.

Stefan's dead. Stefan's dead. _Stefan's dead!_

And it's all her fault.

She sees someone crouch in front of her and she lets out another hiss in warning but then her vision comes into focus and she's sees that it's Damon kneeling beside her and _Oh God, please make it stop_.

Stefan's dead. Stefan's dead. _Stefan's dead!_

And it's all her fault.

"I'm sorry," she chokes out. "I'm so so so sorry Damon. He was trying to protect me, I was fine, I didn't need him to protect me, I was fine. It's all my fault." Her jumbled words morph into a broken sob as she curls into herself, her blond curls cascading around her and Stefan.

Stefan's dead. Stefan's dead. _Stefan's dead!_

And it's all her fault.

"Shhhh, It's ok," Damon says softly, his hand stretching out slightly, but not close enough to touch her. "We're going to find Bonnie and she's going to fix this. Ok?" Caroline raises her head, her bottom lip between her teeth as she nods. Damon begins to stand, both arms outstretched now as he makes an attempt to take Stefan from her embrace.

"No!" she growls, pulling Stefan firmly against her. "I've got him," she says more quietly as she stands and carries Stefan to Damon's car.

Stefan's dead. Stefan's dead. _Stefan's dead!_

And it's all her fault.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N – I really wasn't going to continue this because I have been completely incapable of finishing anything lately but man I'm a sucker for some Daroline - so you get this – you're welcome. There will probably be a third part at some point to tie all this up neat and tidy like. Leave a review if it pleases you! - T**

**I've Got you**

**Part Deux.**

She's sitting in the backseat with Stefan in her lap, her fingers still toying with his hair as she takes a slow steadying breath. She still hears the mantra inside her head…..

Stefan's dead. Stefan's dead. _Stefan's dead!_

And it's all her fault.

Though it seems to have quieted some as time has passed. She can hear Elena's sniffles and Damon's silence up in the front seat and it kind of makes her wish the mantra was still loud and deafening and thrumming in her head, beating like a drum.

They pull up outside of Bonnie's and this time Caroline lets Damon take his brother with little fight. They don't make eye contact as he pulls Stefan into his arms and Caroline doesn't make a move to get out of the car, her fingers still toying with her best friends' hair that's no longer there. Elena says something that Caroline cannot hear and gets out of the car and follows Damon into Bonnie's home.

She's not sure how much time passes before Damon comes back alone because her heart is breaking anew now that Stefan is out of her arms and she's left feeling empty and alone. She sobs loudly, her arms wrapped around her middle as she rocks back and forth, back and forth, in the back of Damon's car.

Stefan's dead. Stefan's dead. _Stefan's dead!_

And it's all her fault.

Damon drives her home, pulling her out of the back seat, wrapping his arm around her shoulders as he walks her to the door.

"Are you going to kill me?" she asks between choked sobs when they reach the lighted porch. Damon pauses, for a moment surprised that the thought hadn't crossed his mind up to this point.

"Kill you?" he asks almost thoughtfully, as if he is now considering the possibility because it wasn't his first knee-jerk reaction to kill the baby blonde vampire but hasn't he threatened to stake her over far far less? And surely it would numb the pain just slightly if he tore her heart out of her chest. Caroline lets out another broken sob and feels her knees begin to buckle under her as she nods and looks at him pleadingly.

"It's my fault Damon. It's my fault your brother's dead." The words come out slurred and choked and with a certain bite towards the end that makes Damon feel like she's trying to provoke him. And it's tempting to fall into his old ways, finds it quite easy to slip back into the role of villain as his hand reaches up and tucks a blonde curl behind her ear then slowly drops along the column of her ivory neck, his fingertips whispering against her flesh.

"Elena would never forgive me," he says lowly, his hand dropping back to his side in defeat.

"Yes she would," Caroline says with a dramatic eye roll that makes Damon smirk slightly as Blondie flashes to the surface for the briefest of moments but is too quickly pulled back down, engulfed by sadness and grief.

"Stefan will kill me when he comes back," Damon argues as he mentally envisions his hand deep in the hollow of her chest and Caroline lets out a ragged sigh.

"What if he doesn't come back Damon?" Caroline whispers around the lump in her throat.

"Well then I'll definitely kill you," Damon says and there is no tug of his lips, or glint in his eye that would otherwise hint that he's anything but serious so Caroline takes his words to heart, nodding slightly before turning toward the door. "Oh and Blondie," Damon adds as he reaches and pulls the screen door open for her.

"Yeah?" Caroline asks, her chin turning up slightly so she can see his face clearly with their close proximity.

"Don't even think about flipping the switch," Damon says and Caroline's brow furrows slightly in confusion. "I want you on your knees begging me to kill you when all hope is lost." Caroline feels an icy chill run down her spine and her chin quivers slightly before she steels herself, opening her door and stepping inside.

"Goodnight Damon," she says quietly, before shutting the door.


End file.
